Netherlands
From 1 July 2026, the Netherlands statutory minimum wage and daily wage ceiling for sick pay have increased, while 2026 changes to unemployment contribution rates and the tax-free travel allowance have also been reflected.
The employee rights chapter has been updated to reflect increases from 1 July 2026 to the statutory daily wage ceiling for pregnancy and maternity benefits, parental leave benefit and additional birth leave benefit, the home-working allowance, and the insolvency-related maximum daily wage.
The Future key developments section has been updated to reflect changes to the tables on the Equal Opportunity in Recruitment and Selection Act, the new Self-Employed Persons Act, the implementation of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, changes to the compensation scheme for statutory transition payments for dismissal due to long-term disability, enhanced rights for flexible workers, disability insurance for independent contractors, and new employee retention measures in times of crisis.
Several countries changed their minimum wage rates on 1 July 2026 including Argentina, Australia, Netherlands and Romania. In the US, there were a number of minimum wage increases.
In Ireland, from 29 June 2026, employees may seek to continue working beyond a contractual retirement age below the state pension age, with employers only able to refuse on objectively justified grounds.
The table has been updated to reflect key 2026 developments in statutory annual leave across jurisdictions.
Updated to include additional information on temporary employment agency work in Argentina and Netherlands.
In May 2026, Turkey doubled the length of paternity leave from five to 10 days. In France, for children born on or after 1 January 2026, each parent (including mothers) is entitled to two months of supplementary birth leave, available from 1 July 2026.
In Turkey, maternity leave was extended from 16 to 24 weeks from 1 May 2026. In France, for children born on or after 1 January 2026, each parent (including mothers) is entitled to two months of supplementary birth leave, available from 1 July 2026.
Updated to include new information on the enforcement of rules against false self-employment.
HR practices and employment law in Netherlands.